


be my mirror, my sword and shield

by kybelles



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Meet-Cute, Social Media, Texting, ash is weak when it comes to eiji, side shorter/yut-lung, this is gonna be a fluffy fic fellas we suffer enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-06 12:18:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15885900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kybelles/pseuds/kybelles
Summary: Ash Lynx finds the love of his life on a quiet night after he trips on sidewalk and harshly bumps his face against it when he exits from library.Ash lets out a long-suffering sigh and prepares to take out his phone when he hears a sharp inhale and feels someone approaching him in a hurry. He defensively turns towards the noise but freezes like a deer caught in the headlights.There’s guy in front of him who’s looking at Ash with concern and the sight of himliterallymakes Ash’s heart flutter like it’s never done before. He has the softest looking black hair Ash’s ever seen and for a crazy moment, Ash feels an irrepressible urge to run his hand through it. The guy’s already big dark eyes grow impossibly bigger when they land on Ash’s bruised cheek.“Oh my god!” he shrieks in an adorable manner. “Are you OK?”“You must be an angel.” Ash blurts before he can stop himself.[Russian]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> here we gooo!
> 
> **disclaimer** : since i'm just a simple turkish girl who has no idea how usa college system works, i made some research about it but ended up deciding to keep the college stuff in minimum and focus on the general story instead. so if you ever see a cringeworthy mistake about college stuff here you should know i'm genuinely sorry. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> (also special thanks to lovely tumblr user moneera-87 for giving me ideas about what the characters might study in college.)
> 
> this isn't gonna be a long story btw but since my uni is starting soon i can't say anything about the update schedule. sorry again!

Ash Lynx finds the love of his life on a quiet night after he trips on sidewalk and harshly bumps his face against it when he exits from library.

“ _Motherfu—_ “ he wails as pain slowly starts spreading on face. He gingerly touches his face with his shaking fingers and grimaces when he feels the blood. Of _fucking_ course his cheek had to tear open. Ash can only be grateful he isn’t wearing glasses at the moment, because God knows the damage would be ten times worse.

He quickly gathers his scattered stuff from the ground, thinking about what to do. He _could_ call Shorter since he actually has a car (whereas Ash still isn’t allowed because of the whole freshman thing) but he’s having dinner with Nadia and Charlie tonight and Ash really doesn’t want to interrupt. The second option is Alex, and while a bike isn’t as a good option as a car, it’s still better than walking.

Ash lets out a long-suffering sigh and prepares to take out his phone when he hears a sharp inhale and feels someone approaching him in a hurry. He defensively turns towards the noise but freezes like a deer caught in the headlights.

There’s guy in front of him who’s looking at Ash with concern and the sight of him _literally_ makes Ash’s heart flutter like it’s never done before. He has the softest looking black hair Ash’s ever seen and for a crazy moment, Ash feels an irrepressible urge to run his hand through it. The guy’s already big dark eyes grow impossibly bigger when they land on Ash’s bruised cheek.

“Oh my god!” he shrieks in an adorable manner. “Are you OK?”

“You must be an angel.” Ash blurts before he can stop himself.

“Wh—?” the angel starts with a confused face but it quickly gets replaced by an anxious frown. “Oh no. Did you hit your head?”

And _that_ is enough for Ash to sober up. “No, just half of my face. I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“But it’s still bleeding!” he says, gentle dark eyes still fixed on the bruise. “Do you have someone to pick you up?”

“Well I—“ Ash starts but he _technically_ doesn’t have anyone right now. He can still try to call Alex, but there’s no guarantee he’s available. The hour is kinda late after all. “I was gonna try to call one of my friends?” he finishes lamely, the words coming out more like a question than a sentence.

The guy sighs and looks at Ash nervously. “OK, um… This might sound like I’m sort of a creep but I have a car and I… I can give you a ride to the campus clinic? If you want?” He fidgets a little.

Ash hesitates.

On the one hand, he knows it’s not the wisest thing to get in some stranger’s car he’s only known for total three minutes but on the other hand, his face hurts like a bitch and God knows how long it’s gonna take Alex to pick him up. If he’s even available.

The fact that this guy has the cutest Bambi eyes and an angelic face doesn’t help either. Ash finds his anxious fidgeting strangely endearing and if he’s acting like this, then it’s probably a good sign like he’s not planning to kidnap Ash.

Apparently Ash’s silence is enough for him to blush furiously. Ash helplessly watches his rosy cheeks. “Y’know what, you don’t have to, if it makes you comfortable.” he mumbles. “Sorry I—“

“No, I’d be really glad.” Ash quickly interrupts, heart beating fast. “If it’s not a bother.”

“No, not at all.” the guy perks up again, giving Ash a blindingly shiny smile. “Come on, this way.”

The guy’s car, admittingly, is nothing sort of fancy but it somehow has a cozy atmosphere even though it’s just a car. Maybe this has to do with the fresh pine smell inside or maybe it’s about his rescuer’s warm aura.

He gives Ash a little apologizing smile as he fastens his belt. “Sorry it’s a bit of a junk but don’t worry, it’s quite strong.”

Ash shakes his head. “You’re willingly driving me to the clinic. I don’t think you have anything to be sorry about.”

“Right.” the guy smiles but then his eyes widen. “Oh God, I’m so rude!” He extends his hand. “I’m Eiji.”

Ash accepts his hand and a sweet warmness immediately spreads to his body. “Ash.”

“Ash.” Eiji repeats kindly, his voice making a shiver run down on Ash’s spine. “I’d say ‘Nice to meet you.’ but given the circumstances, I think it’d be a little rude.”

“Right.” Ash faintly replies, his knees feeling weak against Eiji’s kind little smile.

Eiji finally starts the car and begins driving in a careful way that only makes Ash’s heart even fonder. They ride in a careful silence for a few minutes. Ash’s really glad Eiji found him because whereas campus clinic and his dorm are close to each other, campus clinic and library aren’t and it’d be really hard to get there by himself.

“So…” Eiji begins with a light voice. “I guess you were late night studying at the library?”

“Yeah.” Ash says. “I can’t really concentrate in my dorm.”

Eiji makes a sympathetic noise. “I know the feeling. I also couldn’t concentrate in my dorm before I moved into a little apartment. What do you study, by the way?”

“I'm a political science freshmen. You?”

“Oh, I’m majoring in photography. Third year.” Eiji replies casually.

Ash just _stares_ because there’s no way, no way this guy is older than him. Eiji catches the look on his face before he can hide it and grimaces.

“I know, I know, I look way younger than I actually am.” he says with a little insecure laugh. “My roommate teases me about it too.”

_Look what you did, dickhead._ Ash scolds himself internally. _Sure, go ahead and make the cute guy who’s helping you feel bad. Asshole._

“I think you look just fine.” he says instead. _Too fine,_ he wants say but he doesn’t want to come off as a creep. “And your roommate sounds like a dick.”

Eiji’s laugh is warm and genuine this time. “He can be, at certain times. But he’s generally cool. He’s an art history freshmen.”

His voice carries a sweet fondness. Ash wonders if it’s even possible to feel jealous of someone he doesn’t even know. “Sounds cool.”

They finally reach the campus clinic and Eiji parks the car in a few tries. Ash manages to hide his amusement this time, but he surprisedly looks up when Eiji gets out of the car and opens Ash’s door.

“Come on.” he says gently.

Ash gets out in a dazed manner. There’s no reason for Eiji to stick around now that he’s brought Ash here but he still chose to stay. His heart flutters again.

A bored looking nurse welcomes them when they step inside. Her eyes narrow immediately when they land on Ash’s bloody cheek and she looks at Eiji accusingly.

“Did you do this?” she asks harshly.

Eiji stammers, an ashamed blush coloring his cheeks as if he _actually_ did this and Ash comes forward to stop this nonsense.

“No, he didn’t do this.” he glares at the nurse. “A sidewalk did this when I tripped on it and _he_ helped me get here. Otherwise I’d be still stuck at the library area.”

The nurse’s look softens and she gives Eiji a big smile. “Oh sweetheart,” she coos. “Aren’t you a true knight in shining armor?”

Eiji blush deepens even more and Ash’s eyes stay on him until the nurse urges him to sit down.

Now that he’s not distracted by Eiji’s beauty, he begins feeling the dull pain on his cheek once again. He grimaces in pain as the nurse tends the wound but it’s comforting to know Eiji is there.

“All done.” the nurse says maybe fifteen minutes later. “It should be back to normal in a week if you use the ointment I gave you regularly. It’s not a deep scratch, won’t leave a trace. Good thing you came here immediately.”

Ash lifts his eyebrows at Eiji. “Thanks, Mr. Shining Knight.”

Eiji lets out an embarrassed laugh, rubbing his neck. “No big deal.”

The nurse looks at between them and a little smile appears on her face but she doesn’t make a comment. “You can take a painkiller if you feel a headache but I don’t think this will be an issue. You’re good to go.”

Ash rises on his feet. “Thanks ma’am.”

The nurse gives both of them a knowing smile. “Good night, boys.”

They’re silent until they reach to Eiji’s car again and Ash suddenly realizes Eiji’s perfume smells like a fresh winter night, mixing well with the pine smell inside his car. He secretly takes a long breath of it.

“I, um…” Eiji says with his doe eyes. “I can drop you to your dorm if you want?”

Ash wants it. In fact, there’s nothing he wants more at the moment but he also knows his heart can only take so much before it explodes from Eiji’s mere presence.

“Thank you so much, but I think I’m gonna walk.” he tells him sincerely and he _swears_ Eiji’s face drops a little. “It’s only a ten minutes walk from here and some fresh air would be good for me.”

“Oh.” Eiji says in a quiet voice. “I understand.”

“ _But…_ ” Ash starts slowly, swinging a little from left to right. “I can give you my number? So you know, you can check up on me?” He internally cringes at how desperate and pathetic he sounds but Eiji’s face brightens up with a smile.

“That’s a good idea!” he says happily, taking out his phone to hold it out to Ash. Ash carefully enters his number to not make a mistake and gives it back to Eiji. “I’ll send you a message so you can have my number too, OK?”

“Sounds great.” Ash says, his voice coming out a little breathless.

Eiji gives him one last smile and gets in his car. At the last moment, he lowers his glass and looks at Ash with serious eyes. “Text me back when you safely reach your room, will you?”

“OK.” Ash assures him with a smile. “I will.”

Eiji kindly nods at him and drives off. Ash continues standing on his place until Eiji completely disappears from eyesight.

“I will.” he repeats again with a whisper.

* * *

He’s glad Shorter isn’t at the room when he finally steps inside because he literally _throws himself to his bed_ like he’s some newly teenager and watches the ceiling until his mad heartbeat calms down a little. He finally takes his phone and looks at Eiji’s text, changing his contact name before he sends him a message.

Ash wonders if his “:)” can be read as flirty. He hopes so.

Ash reads the texts over and over again before he turns his eyes to the ceiling again.

He doesn’t sleep for another hour.

 

* * *

  
 

* * *

 "Explain this  _right now!_ "

Ash groans as a pillow hits his face and makes his bruise sting. He opens one eye and glares at the purple stack above him.

Shorter, apparently, isn’t fazed by his deathly glare. “I was gone for _one night,_ and you decide to tweet sappy shit about some ‘doe eyed angel’ and—holy fuck, what happened to your face?!” he shrieks after he notices Ash’s bruise but shakes his head quickly. “Never mind, we’ll get to that later. Now tell me, who’s the doe eyed angel?”

Ash’s insides feels warm all over again when he recalls last night. He looks at Shorter with a teasing smirk.

“I’ll tell, but can I have your opinion on something very important?”

Shorter looks very confused. “Sure?”

“How does ‘Aslan Jade Callenreese-Okumura’ sound to you?”

There’s a brief silence between them before Ash bursts into laughter from the look on Shorter’s face and Shorter literally _howls._

_“WHAT.THE.FUCK?!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [tumblr](http://kybelles.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://twitter.com/kybelles) | [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/kybelles)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's time to meet our favourite snake.
> 
> MANY MANY thanks to everyone for their support on chapter one. your comments mean A LOT to me and i'm always happy to read them. i hope you like this chapter too!

Eiji starts his day with a mini heart attack.

After he feels the daylight behind his eyelids, he tosses and turns in his bed, trying to trick himself to sleep a little longer, but it’s no use. Even though he needs more sleep after getting home so late last night, his body clock is programmed to get up in a certain hour. Eiji gets rid of his covers with a groan, stumbling into the bathroom without even completely opening his eyes.

He’s about to hit his face with cold water from the tap when he suddenly hears a loud splash behind him. “Morning, kitten.”

Eiji yelps, startling so bad that he loses his balance and painfully lands on his butt. He huffs in pain and glares at the guy in the bathtub. “ _Don’t_ scare me like that! I have a fragile heart.”

Yut-Lung just smiles sweetly at him behind the bubbles, his long wet hair clinging to his shoulders like he’s some sort of mermaid. “Oh, don’t I know it?”

Truth be told, Eiji wasn’t keen on having a roommate the first time he rented this apartment. Yes, it had an extra room someone could use, but it was also the perfect space for Eiji to use as an office. So, he was all by himself at first. However, with the new rent increase, his assistant salary from Ibe started being simply not enough for his every need. And asking for extra money from his parents was also out of the picture since his sister Misaki was in high school and they were also handling her.

Yut-Lung _most probably_ wouldn’t be Eiji’s first choice if he didn’t already have the rent money for the next two months. There was this… _vibe_ around him that made Eiji uneasy. Like even though he looked like a forest nymph with his long shiny hair, his angelic looking face and elegant posture; there was something dangerous lurking under his skin. Still, Eiji desperately needed money, and Yut-Lung was offering it in a guaranteed way, so he became Eiji’s new roommate.

The first night Yut-Lung stayed here, Eiji knocked on his door before he went to bed, and politely asked if he needed anything.

Yut-Lung was combing his long hair in front of his mirror. He looked at Eiji through the mirror and gave him a frosty smile. “I don’t. How sweet of you to ask, though. I can eat you up.”

Eiji just smiled back lightly and kept his door locked that night.

It took a surprisingly short amount of time for Eiji to figure out that acting like this was Yut-Lung’s strange way of self-defense. Eiji was very confused and a little hurt at first because whenever he tried to act polite and interested towards Yut-Lung once he became sure the guy was just a cold type and not a sociopath, his every attempts at being friendly got pushed back by Yut-Lung with stiff answers and cold stares. However, the more Eiji determinately stayed polite and civil towards him and didn’t turn out to be an asshole like Yut-Lung was probably expecting, he began acting less and less aggressive each day and they eventually formed a somewhat-shaky friendship.

The turning point of their friendship was the night Eiji found Yut-Lung on their tiny kitchen’s floor when he got back from Ibe’s office. His usually well-groomed hair was now messily tangled and his bloodshot eyes were almost too small on his lime white face. Eiji opened his mouth in alarm but Yut-Lung interrupted him before he could speak.

“Welcome home, Eiji.” he said with a monotone voice, sounding like he had a very bad flu. “I was just talking to my _darling_ brothers, who informed me that they _sadly_ can’t support me financially anymore. How was your evening?”

“Um…” Eiji said nervously.

“ _Fuck them_!” Yut-Lung screamed suddenly, startling Eiji. “How fucking dare they?! I’ve never asked for anything other than the minimum, other than what’s fucking _my right_ , and now they’re saying they can’t even give me that!”

His face crumbled with pain again and he began to cry. “They all can go and burn in hell. I can take care of myself. I _fucking_ can.”

And before he knew what he was doing, Eiji got down on his knees and wrapped his arms around Yut-Lung. The younger boy froze for a moment as if he wasn’t used to being hugged, but then he started crying even more severely and snuggled into Eiji’s embrace like a touch starved animal.

“It’s all going to be alright.” Eiji murmured soothingly.

“I-I have some s-s-savings. I can go on with it for a w-while.” Yut-Lung interruptedly sobbed. “So don’t worry about the—the rent money this month.” Eiji stood up half-way to fill a glass with water, even though Yut-Lung was still clinging to him like a scared child. Eiji gently made him take him a few sips. “I’ll try to find a job too. And you can kick me out if I still don’t have any money when the time comes.”

Eiji frowned. “I’m not going to kick you out, Yut-Lung.”

Yut-Lung looked at him with teary eyes. “Why are you being this nice to me?” he asked with a slight anger. “I’ve been nothing but rude to you since day one. I don’t deserve your kindness.”

“It’s not about deserving.” Eiji said gently. “I’d like to think us as friends. Friends have each other’s back.”

So, even though that night was heartbreaking for many reasons, it also became the night the wall between them finally crumbled and they became friends for real this time. Eiji was quite happy with it despite the circumstances.

Eiji eyes the bathtub with nervous eyes. “Please tell me you’re going to clean this.” he says fearfully. Even the thought of cleaning Yut-Lung’s Rapunzel hair from the drain pipe turns his empty stomach. “ _In fact_ , come to think of it, you should clean the whole house. It’s your turn.”

Yut-Lung rolls his eyes, burying himself back to his bubbles. “You’re such a buzzkill, Eiji.” he pouts. But his eyes lit with joy a moment later, and he leans forward excitedly. “Guess who found a joooob?”

Eiji makes a happy noise. “Seriously? Where did you find it?”

“Nadia’s café.”

“Really? I thought she wasn’t looking for employees?”

 _Redmoons_ is a student friendly café with reasonable prices and delicious food, and it’s run by a charming woman named Nadia Dickenson. Yut-Lung discovered it by chance one day on his morning run, and ever since that it became a frequented place for Eiji and Yut-Lung. Nadia is a very polite and sweet woman, and she’s always been nice to both of them, but she’s especially fond of Yut-Lung. Eiji can’t blame her since even _he_ can admit Yut-Lung speaking Mandarin in a soft voice with a relaxed face is a cute sight. And he _knows_ Yut-Lung, unlike Nadia.

“That’s what I thought too.” Yut-Lung says. “But I was looking for job notices on my laptop at the café yesterday, and she accidently noticed and said she’d be really happy if I started working there! She said she gets tired easily now that she’s four months pregnant and she asked for extra help from his brother, but wanted to hire someone else too since his brother is, I quote ‘kind of a lazy ass.’”

“Wonderful!” Eiji exclaims happily, reaching out to lightly caress Yut-Lung’s cheek. He rolls his eyes but leans into Eiji’s touch briefly. “Good job, baby snake. You really did it.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Yut-Lung responds in a careless manner. “Now get out so I can finish my bath quickly. We’re going to have brunch at Redmoons. I wanna have one last meal as a customer.” He flutters his eyelashes. “Your treat, by the way.”

“As you wish, your majesty.” Eiji says dryly.

When they both get dressed, Yut-Lung sits on the floor between Eiji’s legs and extends him a comb. As much as he complains about how Eiji combs his hair a little harshly (which Eiji _does not_ ), they both know Eiji is faster and if Yut-Lung does it himself they won’t be able to leave the apartment until midnight. So he just sits quietly while Eiji carefully combs his hair.

“Why were you so late last night?” Yut-Lung asks suddenly. “Ibe usually doesn’t keep you that late, no matter how busy you guys are.”

A blush immediately colors Eiji’s cheeks. “Um, it wasn’t Ibe actually.” he murmurs. “I…”

Yut-Lung gasps for a breath, turning towards Eiji to reveal his shocked big eyes. “ _You got laid_!”

“What?” Eiji asks dumbly, and horror dawns on his face a moment later. “ _No,_ no I didn’t—“

“You did!” Yut-Lung insists, wiggling in his place. “And wow, you didn’t even stay at guy’s place. That’s cold, Eiji.”

“Oh my god, stop that!” Eiji yells desperately. “I didn’t sleep with anybody. Something else came up.”

Yut-Lung raises his eyebrows.

“It’s kind of a long story.” Eiji lies lamely.

Yut-Lung twirls a strand of his hair. “Perfect time to tell me as you brush my long hair, then.”

Eiji lets out a deep sigh and mentally prepares himself. “So last night I was walking to my car…”

* * *

By the time Ash finishes telling Shorter about the last night, he’s already had two cups of coffee and the ointment on his cheek has dried in an uncomfortable way, which makes Ash grimace. He quickly takes a look at his phone and averts his eyes in disappointment again.

“Sooo…” he sighs in the end. “That’s all.”

Shorter has a skeptical expression on his face and he stays quiet for a minute. “I don’t know, man.” he says slowly. “This whole thing sounds way too much like fanfiction bullshit.”

Ash gives him a long, blank stare. “What the hell is a fanfiction, Shorter?”

Shorter ignores him. “How can you be sure he wasn’t following you or something?” he asks stubbornly. “Maybe he was spying on you and took advantage of it when you fell?”

Ash shakes his head solemnly. “He had _many_ opportunities if he actually wanted to hurt me, Shorter. He drove me to the clinic instead.”

Shorter’s lips part in surprise, and he gives a whistle helplessly. “Well, I’m out of options then. What kind of heroic fuckery is that?”

Ash hides a smile against his palm. “I know.”

“And he totally has you whipped.”

“He doesn’t!”

“You tweeted about the guy’s ‘doe eyes’ at 3 a.m.” Shorter points out.

“ _So?_ ” Ash scolds defensively, reaching for his phone again.

“And _for fuck’s sake,_ why do you keep checking your phone? I know you’re not much of a phone addict like me.”

Ash pauses for a moment to think about whether he should lie or not, but in end he decides his pride is pretty much on the floor at this point, so he pouts like a five year old child. “He hasn’t texted me yet.”

Shorter blinks behind his glasses. “Excuse me?”

“Eiji.” Ash clarifies. “He wrote ‘ttyl’ last night, but it’s been more than ten hours now and he still hasn’t—“

“Are we _really_ having this conversation right now?” Shorter interrupts loudly. “Like, is this really happening right now or is this some weird ass dream I'm having for some reason?”

Ash’s eyes narrow, and he crosses his arms. “I didn’t say anything weird.”

“Jesus, Ash…” Shorter says in disbelief. “Who would have thought you’d be this clingy when you finally liked someone?”

“I’m not being clingy and also I don’t like him!” Ash shouts but his eyes widen with panic immediately. “I mean, of course _I like him_ , because he is a very polite guy who helped me a lot yesterday but I don’t ‘like-like’ him, get it? I’m just saying, if someone says they will ‘Talk to you later.’, then they probably should—“

“I can’t take this anymore.” Shorter stands up from his bed, opening the closet door to throw Ash a hoodie. “Get dressed. Nadia’s supposed to show me how the things in café work today and you’re coming with me.”

Ash almost objects but going to Nadia’s café _does_ sounds better than moping in his room all day and waiting for Eiji to text him, so he gets up with an annoyed huff.

Ash walks in first while Shorter looks for an empty park area, and _literally_ the minute he steps inside, his body collides with someone else’s and he holds onto them to balance himself. He opens his mouth to apologize but freezes when he meets with a pair of warm dark eyes.

Eiji freezes for a moment too before a starlit smile appears on his face. “Ash! What a lovely coincidence!”

 _I’ll say,_ Ash wants to say but his throat feels too dry at the moment. Eiji is just as beautiful as he remembers from last night, making Ash’s heartbeat pick up immediately. He hypnotically looks at Eiji’s soft face for a long moment before he finally blurts, “What are you going here?”

“Oh, well I—“

The door behind Ash’s opens again, and this time Shorter steps inside with a happy look on his face. “Well, it was easy. Luckily someone was—oh. Who’s this?”

Alarms start ringing in Ash’s ears and he gives Shorter a very quick, warning glare. “Shorter, meet Eiji. Eiji, this is my roommate Shorter.”

Understanding dawns on Shorter’s face, his lips curling into a dirty smirk. He quickly takes Eiji’s hand and shakes it with glee. “Nice to meet you Eiji. So, you’re the one who rescued Ash’s sorry ass last night, ha?”

Ash is going to break his bones as soon as he gets the chance, but right now he’s content with watching Eiji’s adorable shrug.

Eiji lets out a little laugh, looking _so_ sweetly shy that Ash doesn’t know what to do with himself. “It’s not a big deal, I’m just glad I could help.” He gives Ash an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry I didn’t text you. I was actually going to, but then I thought you were probably resting and didn’t need me to bother you, so I decided to text you later. And now we…” His voice trails off with a little murmur.

Shorter manages to turn his laugh into a cough at the last moment but Ash still secretly pokes his rib in a painful way, not taking his eyes from Eiji even for a moment. “Like you said, what a lovely coincidence.” he says softly.

A delicious looking blush colors Eiji’s cheeks and Ash longs for pressing light kisses to both of them.

“So Eiji…” Shorter loudly starts, making Ash glare at him again. “What brings you to my sister’s sweet little café?”

“Your sister…?” Eiji says with a confused face, and his eyes widen a little. “Wait, Nadia is your sister?”

Both Ash and Shorter are confused. “Yes?” Shorter says slowly.

Eiji giggles in an adorable manner. “Well, you’re not going to believe—“

“Making friends, kitten?”

Out of nowhere, two pale arms come up and wrap themselves around Eiji’s left arm. A very long haired guy props his chin on Eiji’s shoulder and takes them in with bored and lazy eyes. Ash’s stomach turns sour as he looks at the guy and Eiji’s cozy embrace. _God no, fucking no, does he really have a boyfriend—_

He feels Shorter squirm a little bit beside him. “Oh, is he your boyfriend?” he asks casually.

Eiji _shudders._ “Oh God, _no_!” he squeaks while the guy throws him an offended look, but the relief Ash feels is so strong that he feels dizzy for a moment. “This is Yut-Lung, my roommate and best friend. Yut-Lung, this is Ash, the guy I told you about; and this is Shorter, his friend.”

Yut-Lung’s eyes lit with mockery almost immediately and he gives Ash the fakest smile he’s ever seen. “Aww, Eiji told me all about his little heroic play last night.” he says sweetly while Eiji looks bothered. “What a misfortune indeed. Being defeated by a sidewalk…”

Shorter laughs for real this time and yes, Ash is seriously going to beat him. As for Yut-Lung, it’s been only a minute since he’s known the guy, but Ash is doubtful they’ll ever get along better. “What can I say?” he responds with a faux sweetness. “It was a very fierce sidewalk.”

This time _Eiji_ is the one who laughs and oh, this is better, this is so much better. Ash’s willing to keep making jokes every single minute if it means he gets to hear Eiji’s cute little laugh.

Eiji – _finally_ —pulls his arm from Yut-Lung’s and looks at him with amused eyes. “Guess what I’ve just learnt? Shorter is Nadia’s brother! You’ll work together, isn’t it wonderful?”

Everyone except Eiji stands with puzzled expressions for a minute.

Shorter finally breaks the silence with a very confused voice. “Um, what?”

Yut-Lung leans his cheek against his palm and looks at Shorter with a thoughtfulness. “So you’re the brother Nadia told me about. We’ll be coworkers, then.”

“What?”

“She said I can always ask you if I needed anything.”

“ _What?_ ”

Ash takes advantage of their chaos to gently take Eiji aside, and butterflies fills his stomach when Eiji willingly follows him. He looks at Ash’s bruised cheek and gives him a sympathetic smile. “It looks much better already.”

Ash makes a face. “It makes me look like a rotten mashed potato.”

“Nooo.” Eiji protests, a little frown appearing on his face. “If anything, it makes you look, um, rugged.” He averts his eyes with a blush, looking like he can’t believe he’s just said that.

Ash’s insides feels warm as he can’t help but smirk. “If you say so…” He takes a long breath to calm his racing heart. “Listen, I really want to thank you properly for your help last night and I… I was wondering…”

Eiji looks at him with his big Bambi eyes which doesn’t help _at all_ , and Ash helplessly clears his throat.

“…if you’d like to have dinner with me or something? If you’re available?”

Eiji’s eyes shines but he hesitates suddenly. “Oh, you don’t mean now, right?”

“Actually, I thought, since it’s the weekend, we could…” Ash replies dumbly and his voice gets lower and lowers until it completely disappears.

An apologizing smile appears on Eiji’s face and Ash suddenly feels depressed when he realizes Eiji’s going to turn him down gently. “Ash, there’s nothing I’d like more but…” he sighs, and Ash allows himself to feel a little helpful. “I don’t know if I told you this, but I’m working as an assistant photographer and nowadays the work is crazy busy since my boss started to work for two different magazines.”

“Oh.” Ash says half-heartedly. “I understand.”

“ _But_ …” Eiji says slowly, throwing Ash a shy look under his long eyelashes and Ash is _weak._ “I’m sure Ibe-san can give me one free night. Is it okay if I text you when I catch a space on my schedule or…?”

“It’s okay.” Ash blurts, making Eiji blush again. He smiles and repeats in a more sultry voice. “It’s more than okay.”

“Glad to hear that.” Eiji says breathlessly. They look at each other for an intense moment without talking.

Then, of course, someone ruins it.

“Hey kitten, what time will you be at home?” Yut-Lung asks loudly.

Eiji startles a little. “I’m not really sure…” He takes a look at the watch and his eyes go big in a panic. “I should leave immediately. See you at home.” he says to Yut-Lung, and gives Shorter a big smile. “It was very nice to meet you. Hope we can see each other soon.”

Shorter’s smirk is somewhat fond. “Likewise.”

Eiji finally looks at him again, giving him such a private little that Ash’s knees feel weak. “I’ll see you later, Ash.”

“Goodbye, Eiji.” he replies in the same private tone.

He continues watching Eiji through the window after he leaves and doesn’t try to hide his sigh when Shorter approaches him. Shorter lets out a little whistle. “Gotta give it to you Ash, he _really_ looks and acts like a cute cartoon animal.”

“ _I know._ ”

“Shooorteeer,” a whine comes behind them. “You’re supposed to pay attention to _me._ ”

Ash cruelly laughs at the pained look in Shorter’s eyes.

* * *

* * *

“So… Is it true what I heard about you and some nice boy?”

Ash is _literally_ paralysed for a long moment before a growl rises from his throat. “I’m going to kill Shorter. Seriously, I’m going to _murder_ him.”

Griffin’s hum sounds sympathetic from the other side of the line. “No, you’re not. People can’t get rid of their best friends that easily, Ash. For example, look at me. I’ve been tolerating Max for the last twenty years.”

“Well, it’s _your_ fault.” Ash replies grumpily, voice still thick with irritation. “God damn it, when did he even tell you this? He’s just found out this morning!”

“It’s not technically his fault, actually.” Griffin says a little soothingly. “See, I called him after I couldn't reach you—“

“I was in the bathroom, Griffin. I returned to your call _ten minutes_ later.”

“—and Shorter said you were probably busy doodling your ‘married name’ to a notebook or something—

“ _Oh my god._ ”

“So I naturally asked and he briefly said you have a crush on someone.”

“Unbelievable!” Ash screams in frustration, glaring daggers at Shorter’s bed. “Betrayed my best friend _and_ my brother. I shouldn’t speak to either of you ever again.”

“Anyway,” Griffin says smoothly, totally ignoring his little tantrum. “I called to ask if you’re still coming for breakfast tomorrow. Max and Jessica are coming too.”

“I’m not coming. None of you deserves to see my face.”

“Oh, Michael is also coming.”

“…One of you deserves to see my face.”

“Great!” his brother says brightly. “We can talk about the guy you like in great detail.”

Ash groans. “Griff, please drop it.”

“Fine, fine… See you tomorrow, cub.”

“ _Never_ call me that again.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **up next:** we meet griffin/max/jessica/michael/ibe and also the boys make a great discovery. :)
> 
> see you next time!
> 
> [tumblr](http://kybelles.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://twitter.com/kybelles) | [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/kybelles)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again cuties! a few notes:
> 
> * i suffered from a terrible writer's block this chapter, i seriously thought i'd never be able to finish this. i feel like this chapter could've been better but i wanted to post it anyway before my birthday so... *shrugs hopelessly*  
> * ash uses a french sentence this chapter and since i have ZERO french knowledge, i had to use google translate. please let me know if you speak french and it's grammatically wrong!  
> * i kindaaaa re-activated [my twitter](https://twitter.com/kybelles), it's mainly banana fish related and i'm thinking about posting my new fic's preview (and yes, there will be a new one!) here so i wanted to let you know. :)  
> * oh and also, spoilers for spirited away??
> 
> whew, guess that's all. sorry for rambling too much, hope you like this chapter!

The next day Ash wakes up in some god-awful hour and takes the bus in order to be at Griffin’s home on time. It nearly takes forty five minutes with a bus between his brother’s home and the campus, which was the main reason why Ash had to stay in campus. He grumpily wraps his scarf tighter around his neck against the chilly air inside the bus, putting on his headphones to listen some music.

His mind, naturally, drifts to certain someone and he wonders if it’s too early to text. Biting his lip, he opens the message board and decides to try his luck. The reply is instant.

 

Ash has to _stop_ for a second before he replies because otherwise his heart’s going to explode from Eiji’s cuteness. He quickly takes a screenshot before Eiji sends him another text.

Ash rests his phone against his heart and lets out a long, fond sigh.

The stupid smile on his face remains there during the rest of the bus ride.

* * *

Griffin envelops him in a hug the moment he steps inside, making Ash grimace a little, but after taking a quick look over his brother’s shoulder to make sure Max’s nosy ass isn’t watching them, Ash wraps his arms around him to hug back.

There’s a slightly guilty look on Griffin’s face when he retreats but before Ash can ask, his eyes shift to Ash’s cheek and he frowns. “What happened to your cheek?”

Ash reflexively lifts his hand to touch it. The bruise has turned into a thin line by now. “It’s nothing. I fell.”

Griffin looks like he wants to say more but decides to let go. The guilty look returns to his face as he clears his throat. “Listen cub, there’s something I need to tell you. Yesterday, Max…”

_“Someone’s in looooove!”_

Ash’s eyes widens as he looks at his brother accusingly. Griffin sighs deeply, nervously following him when he dives into living room. Just as he expects, Max is sitting on the couch with a shit-eating grin on his stupid face beside Jessica. At least she looks a little hesitant.

“Hello Ash!” the fucker says. “Did you bring your boyfriend with you?”

Ash grits his teeth, turning back to Griffin with furious eyes. “Did you immediately tell him about it after we hung up?” His voice is mostly angry but it also carries an evident hurt that everyone hears.

Griffin opens his mouth with a panicked face but Max beats him. “Hey, don’t blame him, kid.” he says with a much more serious voice. “I heard my name when you two were talking on the phone and kind of eavesdropped—“

“That still doesn’t make it fucking okay, Max.” he snaps.

Max finally looks guilty. “I didn’t mean anything bad, Ash. I’m just happy—“

“Yeah, don’t mind this idiot, honey.” Jessica finally speaks in a soothing tone, looking at her husband with a tired sigh. “We’re just very excited, you’re kind of the first child of family after all.” At that, Ash’s shoulders unravel a little and Jessica takes this as her cue to smirk teasingly. “But seriously, are you two dating? Is he handsome? ‘Cause if so, I’m gonna organize a couple photo shoot for you and put you on the cover of _Euphoria._ ”

“ _Oh for fuck’s sake_!” Ash yells wearily. “We are NOT dating. We haven’t even been on a date yet.” A little silence follows his outburst and he murmurs his next words like a fucking idiot. “He’s very handsome though…”

Griffin lets out a choked up laugh while Max doesn’t even bother hiding his hysterical laughter and Jessica openly smirks. Ash throws his hands in the air. “That’s it, I’m leaving.”

He hears a startled gasp behind him and a second later, a small body crashes against his legs. “Noooo,” Michael whines sadly. “Don’t go, Ash! I missed you.”

Ash curses the kid’s cuteness internally, kneeling down to hug him. “I’m not going anywhere, Michael.” he promises, causing the kid to beam happily. “But only because I missed you too and I was promised good food.” Ash glares at his brother with the last sentence.

Griffin huffs a laugh. “OK, let’s eat.”

Thankfully, they don’t force him to talk about Eiji at the table, so they’re able to have a peaceful breakfast. Griffin and Max ask him in detail about his classes while Jessica chooses to ask about how he’s handling campus life. Ash answers all of them before he turns to Michael and asks him about how he’s doing, smiling softly when the kid excitedly starts talking about a stray cat he’s started feeding.

After they fill their stomach nicely, they go out to his brother’s backyard to catch some chilly morning sunlight. Jessica sits on Griffin’s patio swing and carefully wraps Michael in a blanket to make sure he doesn’t catch a cold, and Michael, tired because of waking up early and eating too much, falls asleep on his mom’s lap as his legs lean against his dad.

The sight warms Ash’s heart and also breaks it a little at the same time.

He shakes his head lightly to clear his thoughts, looking at Griffin who’s lounging on the chair next to Ash’s. “I finished editing that piece you give me, by the way. I have it with me.”

An overwhelmingly proud smile appears on Griffin’s face. “That soon? And when you’re so busy with school?”

Ash fights down a blush. “It’s not such a big deal. You’ve already translated it, I’m just checking if there’s any mistake.”

“Still, it’s a good thing you finished this quickly.” Max cuts in. “Things are crazy at FJ right now. Shunichi must be there today, I’ll stop by to say hi and give Ash’s translated paper to production director.”

“Poor man’s working like crazy this month.” Jessica says absently.

Max gives his wife a pointed look. “Gee, I wonder whose fault is that?”

“Yeah, Jess, with all due respect,” Griffin starts with a polite voice as Jessica glares at Max. “I don’t understand why you so insistently wanted Ibe this month. I thought he was a photojournalist. Also, isn’t he also dealing with _Foreign Policy_ this month?”

“He is.” Max says under his breath.

“Yes but he’s also a wonderful photographer.” Jessica says stubbornly. “He has a very unique eye for photography. It’s a real privilege to work with Shunichi Ibe. You have no idea for how long I’ve been begging him to do a shoot for _Euphoria_.”

Ash restlessly fidgets in his place. The name really sounds familiar from somewhere but he somehow can’t remember no matter how hard he tries.

“Well, what made him finally give in?” Griffin asks curiously.

“Oh, he has an assistant right now.” Jessica says with a big smile. “A really cute boy.”

“Who Jessica loves to harass.” Max sniggers.

“I am _not_ harassing him!” Jessica snaps with an offended face, caressing Michael’s hair softly when he makes a restless noise. “I’m just wondering why he’s so insisted on working behind the camera when he’s got the one of the most adorably handsome faces I’ve ever seen. And let me tell you, I’ve seen _a lot of_ faces in this business.”

“I know, baby.” Max responds amusedly, toying with a piece of Jessica’s golden hair. “I think the boy’s too shy to be a model. He’s a very polite guy but he’s also kind of reserved.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Jessica laughs. “He could _never_ handle being a model. Blushes too easily.”

Ash suddenly stops breathing. A photographer named Ibe. A very cute assistant.

“What’s the guy’s name?” he asks rather loudly, making Micheal whine again. Jessica glares at Ash and makes soothing noises until his son dozes off again. Ash repeats his question more silently. “The assistant’s name?”

Max frowns a little at his odd behavior. “Eiji Okumura. Why?”

Ash’s mouth fall opens with a silent scream and he whisper-shouts at Griffin with big eyes. “ _That’s my Eiji!_ ”

Three pairs of surprised eyes looks at him and Ash quickly realizes what he’s just said, blushing to the roots of his hair this time. “I—I mean, he’s the guy…”

“…you have a crush on?” Griffin finishes gently, still looking surprised.

Still blushing, Ash can only nod weakly.

Max turns to his wife with a scandalized face. “Jess, he’s literally said _my Eiji_.”

“I’m aware…” Jessica says with raised eyebrows.

“ _Shut up, Max!_ ” Ash hisses quietly. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Oh, really?” Max continues teasing. “Then please do tell us what you meant.”

“How did you even meet him, Ash?” Griffin subtly distracts him before he can get up and strangle Max.

Ash takes a deep breath, pulling his knees to his stomach. “Well…”

After he finishes telling them about how they’ve met and run into each other yesterday at _Redmoons_ , Jessica sighs fondly. “That just sounds like him. Saving the damsel in distress like that… No wonder you’re all heart eyes about him, kid.”

“Shut up, Jessica.” Ash repeats but this time his voice is carrying an unmistakable fondness, which makes Jessica smirk.

“And now turns out they have connection from two different places.” Max says with an impressed whistle.

Griffin looks at him with a big smile. “It’s like fate or something…”

Ash rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling as he lowers his eyes to his lap. It _does_ sounds like fate when Eiji keeps appearing in his life’s different aspects. He thinks about reaching for his phone and text Eiji about this new discovery, but then he straightens up as a new, much more _brilliant_ idea pops in his head.

“You said you’re going to stop by at FJ today, right?” he asks Max firmly.

Even though he looks confused, Max nods. “Yeah?”

“I’m coming with you.” Ash declares.

A brief silence follows before Griffin shakes his head with a quiet laugh and Jessica looks at him teasingly. “Good God, Aslan Callenreese. You got it bad.”

Ash simply shrugs with a light smile, accepting the defeat. “Maybe.”

* * *

He finds Ibe in the exact position he’s left him, peering at the computer screen with a little frown, and his boss lets out a long, relieved breath when Eiji gently puts the dark black coffee in front of him. “Here you go, Ibe-san.”

Ibe moans after taking a small sip. “You’re the world’s best assistant, have I ever told you that?”

Eiji laughs. “Only three times since this morning.”

“Well, you deserve to hear it more. Don’t know if I could find someone else who’d help me t _his much._ ” A guilty look overshadows his face. “It sort of feels like I’m taking advantage of your kindness, ha?”

“No.” Eiji says, voice firm but gentle. “I _choose to_ be here. You gave me this job in a time I _desperately_ needed it, and now I’m trying my best to be a good assistant.”

Ibe still doesn’t look convinced. “But you are overworked.”

Eiji shrugs a little to this, because yeah, _he is._ “So are you, Ibe-san. It’s only for this month after all. And you said yourself, Jessica was asking you to do this shoot for a long time.”

“Yeah, but…” Ibe says hesitantly. “Is there anything I can do for you? As a thank you?”

 _You’re already giving me extra payment this month,_ Eiji goes to say, but pauses when he realizes the perfect opportunity. “Um, actually….” he starts with a distressed blush. “Is it OK if I take a day off? Friday, maybe?”

Ibe looks surprised for a brief moment before he nods quickly. “Sure thing, Ei-chan. You almost never ask for them anyway. May I ask if this has a specific reason or do you just want to have some rest?”

“It’s, uuhh…” Eiji thinks about lying for a moment but he remembers this man has been his mentor for the last three years and deserves some truth at least. “A friend of mine and I will have dinner. That’s all.”

Of course that’s not all when it comes to Ibe as a big grin takes over his face. “Why didn’t you just tell me you had a date? Of course you can take the day off!”

“ _Ibe-san…_ ” Eiji whines embarrassedly, covering his red face with his hands. “It’s not a date! He doesn’t look at me that way.”

His boss snorts. “Eiji, you’d be surprised how many boys look at you _that way_ if you weren’t this oblivious.”

Eiji just whines louder and doesn’t uncover his face.

“How did you meet this boy anyway?” Ibe asks, ignoring his reaction.

“Oh.” Eiji finally withdraws his hands from his face and quickly tells him. A sinister smirk appears on Ibe’s face after he finishes.

“Well, that’s such a romantic first meeting, don’t you think?”

 _“Ibe-san, please!_ ” Eiji hisses desperately.

“Fine, fine…” Ibe laughs. “But I’m expecting you to tell me more about it after Friday, OK? I have to make sure he’s treating my favorite assistant right.”

Eiji blushes despite himself. “Fine.”

Ibe’s phone lights up with a notification and he picks it up, face brightening when he reads it. “Max and Jessica are downstairs. C’mon, let’s take a little break.”

“Uh…” Eiji carefully looks at his own computer screen. “Mind if I join you five minutes later? I have to send this e-mail.”

Ibe hesitates for a moment before he gets up. “OK but don’t get caught up.”

“Promise.”

He lets out a long sigh after Ibe leaves, ears still burning from their conversation about Ash. As much as it makes him flustered when Ibe and Yut-Lung (e _specially_ him) tease him about it, he also genuinely thinks Ash isn’t interested in him romantically. Eiji is no stranger to gratefulness, since he also tries to thank someone as much as possible when they help him, so he doesn’t assign a different meaning to Ash’s actions.

But that doesn’t mean Eiji can’t have a teeny tiny crush on him. He blushes again when the thinks about emerald eyes. He takes a frustrated sip from his coffee.

Eiji frowns a little when he hears light footsteps, wondering if Ibe came back to drag him downstairs, even though it hasn’t been five minutes yet. He lifts his head to ask him that, but completely stops breathing when he sees the person standing in the doorway.

It’s _Ash,_ and unless Eiji’s brain’s playing tricks on him due to the heavy working tempo (which Eiji doubts because he’s getting enough sleep despite everything), it’s really Ash. He’s got a cream trench coat on him and _oh God,_ he’s also wearing glasses. _Actual_ glasses.

His angelic face lightens with a small, warm smile. “Got a minute for me, Mr. Okumura?”

The coffee chooses that moment to get stuck in his throat, causing him to have a violent coughing fit. Panicked steps approaches him quickly and someone pats his back firmly. “Woah, easy, easy.”

Eiji lets out one last violent cough and takes a little sip from his water before turning back to the person, who _indeed_ turns out to be Ash, from this golden hair up to faint bruise on his cheek. “Ash, what are you doing here?” he rasps.

Ash gives his back a few more strong pats before he retreats, smiling a little. “My brother is Max Glenreed’s editor and the French translator of FJ, I sometimes help him with his translations. I’ve just found out this morning that your boss also works for here. So, surprise?”

“You must be kidding!” Eiji says with a joyful shout, but he comes to a stop when a part of Ash’s sentence dawns on. “Wait, you help your brother with translations? I didn’t know you could speak French.”

To this, Ash’s smile turns into a playful smirk and he bends forward a little. “What can I say, _je suis un homme très talentueux._ ”

Eiji has _no idea_ what that means, yet a strong wave of chills claws his spine and he turns his gaze to his lap to hide his flaming red cheeks.

Ash chuckles with his rich voice a moment later and he stands up. “C’mon, let’s go downstairs. I want to introduce you to my brother.” He pauses for a moment. “Only if you want to, of course.”

Eiji’s heart gives a jump at the thought of meeting someone from Ash’s family this soon, but then he scolds himself for even thinking like that. They aren’t dating. There’s nothing to be flustered about. So he lifts his head and smiles at Ash. “Sure, let’s go.”

Their walk to the elevator is quiet, but Eiji can’t stop his big mouth from opening once the door is closed. “I have to say, this is a pleasant surprise.”

Ash huffs a laugh. “Tell me about it. Normally, Max was supposed to deliver the piece I edited by himself, but I thought ‘This is a perfect excuse to see Eiji.’ and decided to tag along.”

Eiji watches as Ash’s cheeks turn pink and Ash himself looks like he didn’t mean to say that aloud, so he turns his head with an embarrassed cough and unbidden, Ibe’s voice echoes in Eiji’s head. _You’d be surprised how many boys look at you that way if you weren’t this oblivious._

Oh. _Oh._

Carefully, not even confident about whether he got this right or wrong, Eiji speaks in a soft tone. “You should know that you don’t need any excuse to see me, Ash.”

Ash’s body stays frozen for a moment before he turns his big, emerald eyes to Eiji. “Really?” he asks quietly.

“Really.” Eiji smiles. “And um… I have the next Friday off, by the way. If you still want to—“

“I do.” Ash interrupts quickly. “I really do.”

“It’s settled, then.” Eiji answers with a whisper, looking at him under his eyelashes.

Ash’s smile is blindingly bright before the elevator door opens.

There are three men standing in the lobby, deep in some conversation. Two of them are familiar faces since they’re Ibe-san and Max, but Eiji’s seeing the third man for the first time and his pulse rises again when he understands he's Ash’s brother. Eiji resists the urge to frantically check his clothes while Ash gently guides him to them.

Ash gently touches the man’s shoulder to get his attention. “Griff, I want you to meet Eiji. Eiji, this is my brother Griffin.”

Without meaning to, Eiji realizes they don’t look alike much. Whereas Ash has golden hair and green eyes, Griffin has light brown hair and eyes. The openly kind expression on his face makes it easy for Eiji to stretch out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Griffin says with a kind smile, squeezing Eiji’s hand in a soft grip. “Shunichi was just in the middle of praising you. Looks like he’s a very lucky boss.”

Eiji blushes under Ash’s intense stare and Griffin’s kind smile. “Thank you. I’m the lucky one, to be fair. He’s a very good boss. I love working with him.”

Griffin suddenly sighs in a dramatic way, turning back to look at Max. “Wish I could’ve said the same about working with you, Max.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know—“ Max starts with a heated glare.

Ash’s quiet laugh distracts him from the conversation, and Eiji slowly turns his attention to him. Ash’s face softens with the bright smile Eiji’s slowly becoming an addict to, and he continues watching Ash’s angelic face like he’s under some spell, his own lips curling with a soft smile too.

They suddenly startle when they hear a loud hum. Eiji shyly turns around to see Jessica watching them with a thoughtful face.

“I was right.” she finally says with a serious face. “The _perfect_ cover.”

Eiji doesn’t understand anything from this sentence, but Ash lets out a long, deep sigh.

* * *

* * *

On the afternoon of March 16, Ash piles up every single clothing item he owns on his bed and looks at the stack with burning eyes. Shorter walks into room, chewing a muffin, freezing immediately when he sees the mess inside.

He barely swallows his bite before he rasps. “ _The fuck happened here?_ ”

“I need to look good.” Ash says with a completely sane voice.

Shorter looks at him in shock for another long moment, then he gathers himself and grips Ash’s shoulders firmly. “Go take a shower before you explode or some shit. I got this.”

A part of Ash —a _large_ part of him— wants to argue, but he also trusts Shorter’s judgement like he trusts no other’s, so he caves and takes a shower like Shorter wanted. Unsurprisingly, he feels much calmer after he gets out, and he sees Shorter’s picked a blue sweater and black pants for him.

Shorter energetically claps his hands. “OK, hear me out. I know red is your favorite color but my inner voice tells me blue is _Eiji_ ’s favorite color, so we’re going with blue. Black goes well with blue so the pants has to be black, and we’ll complete this look with a brown coat.”

Ash looks at the clothes. It’s completely his style but— “He’s gonna think I’m such a hipster loser.”

“But _you are_ a hipster loser, Ash.” Shorter says gleefully, not minding Ash’s death glare a bit. “Now let’s dry your hair, don’t catch pneumonia on your first date with him.”

Ash sits up straight with a sulk on his face as Shorter dries his hair with a blow-dryer, but his expression turns anxious once Shorter turns it off. “I think I’m freaking out a little.”

“Dude, _why_?” Shorter scoffs. “Eiji seems like a really sweet guy. Not like his sneaky roommate at all.”

“Oh yeah, I think I haven’t asked it yet. How are things going between you and him at Nadia’s café?”

Shorter stays silent for a moment. “He’s… _maddening._ I think he’s trying to seduce me.”

Ash turns his neck to look at him because— “Shorter, you did not just use the word ‘ _seduce’_ , right?”

“Yeah, well, hear this.” Shorter snaps defensively. “Yesterday he came to work with his Rapunzel hair down, thrust a comb into my hands before our shift, and told me to brush and braid his hair. Said _‘It’s Eiji’s job to do normally, but I’ve been wondering how your hands would feel for a while.’_ I mean who says that kind of shit?”

The thought of Eiji making Yut-Lung’s hair brings a nasty ache to Ash’s chest, but he tries to focus on Shorter’s problem. “Maybe he just wants to date you but he’s also kinda intimidated by you, so he uses this way?”

Shorter makes a mocking noise. “Don’t think so. Pretty boys like him don't get intimidated easily, Ash. He’s pretty much playing with me.” He laughs. “But it’s fine. I’m a good player too.”

Ash opens his mouth to say something else but he forgets everything as his phones chimes with a text, a little scream ripping from his mouth. “ _Oh god,_ Shorter, he’s arrived! He’s waiting for me in his car, _oh my God, oh my God._ ”

Shorter calmly holds out the brown coat for him and looks directly at his eyes. “Ash Lynx, stop freaking the fuck out. Everything’s all right. This isn’t the first time you’re seeing the guy. Now go be a gentleman and charm him.”

Ash’s tense shoulders uncoil and he nods determinedly. “Will do. Thanks Shorter, you’re the best.”

“Of course I am. _Now go_.”

Even though Shorter’s assurance brings him back to his senses a little bit, he still feels ridiculously nervous about this night. He considers it a miracle when he spots Eiji’s tiny car and his legs carries him over there without turning to jelly.

The smell of pines and Eiji’s fresh cologne fills his lungs immediately. Ash takes a deep breath, turning to him. “Hi.”

Eiji smiles, and suddenly everything looks so much brighter, feels so much warmer, and Ash doesn’t know how to get enough of this. “Hi there.”

Ash takes his time to properly look at him, absorbing his soft black hair, dark eyes, long eyelashes and serene features to his mind forever. His heart flutters when he notices Eiji’s wearing a red sweater and he talks without thinking. “You look amazing. Red is my favorite color.”

He fascinatedly watches Eiji’s blush as his cheeks turn red to match his sweater. “Thank you.” He shyly takes a peek at Ash’s sweater before starting the engine. “And blue is mine.”

Ash’s going to buy Shorter some fancy shit as a thank you gift. “Well, what a nice coincidence.”

Eiji hums happily, putting the car on a route. “So I know the address of the theater we’re going, but you never told me which film we’re seeing.”

“Oh. That.” Ash starts playing with his fingers nervously. “Remember when you told me you love Ghibli movies?”

Eiji’s cute face wrinkles a little in confusion. “Yeah?”

“And it turns out, they’re screening _Spirited Away_ tonight. So I thought it’d be nice…”

His voice disappears under Eiji’s excited gasp. “Oh my god, Ash, _Spirited Away_ is my favorite Ghibli movie!”

“It’s…also my favorite Ghibli movie.” Ash says, absolutely dumbfounded. Inside his traitorous heart chants _soulmates, soulmates, soulmates._

Eiji’s quiet laugh is enough to keep him warm for a thousand winters. “Guess we’re both people with good tastes.”

They settle in their seats once they arrive and Eiji doesn’t want any popcorn. He anxiously turns to Ash before the movie starts.

“Sorry, I didn’t think you might want popcorn…” he whispers.

Ash shrugs. “Don’t worry, I’m not too crazy about it. I just asked because of you.”

Eiji’s lips curls into an _adorable_ pout and Ash firmly grips his armrest to stop himself from leaning in and kiss his pout. “Well, I never understood the concept of popcorn in the cinema. How do they even hear the movie through their chewing noises? It’s also very annoying for other people.”

An amused laugh escapes from Ash’s mouth before he can send it back, and although Eiji briefly looks betrayed by this, he quietly laughs too before the screen goes black and they turn their attention to it.

Watching _Spirited Away_ is certainly an amazing experience, but watching it through Eiji’s eyes is a new experience all by itself. Ash doesn’t even try to fool himself by saying he’s watching the movie, his whole attention is on Eiji. Ash’s mouth twitches with a little smile when Eiji holds his breath during the bridge scene, or when he clings to Ash’s arm when No-Face starts chasing Chihiro, or when a peaceful expression takes over his face on the train scene. It’s the best cinema experience he’s ever had.

Eiji gives him a starlit smile at the exit. “Thank you so much, Ash. It’s been a while since I saw this movie. It felt good.”

Ash tries to suppress the butterflies in his stomach. “You’re welcome. What do you wanna do now?”

Eiji opens his mouth, but before he can say anything, his stomach rumbles loudly and Eiji turns his horrified eyes to the ground, blushing furiously.

Ash laughs loudly. “Don’t be silly, I’m also hungry. C’mon, I’m gonna take you to an amazing burger shop.”

It’s close to cinema, thankfully, so they quickly make their way inside and order cheeseburgers with extra cheese with curly fries.

“The first time I saw this movie,” Eiji starts, taking a sip from his cherry cola. Ash knew he had to have at least one flaw. Drinking cherry cola is a huge flaw in Ash’s standards, but he’s lucky Ash likes him this much. “I was…ten maybe? I was watching the scene where Lin was taking Chihiro to Yubaba when my mom called me for something, and I never completed it. Don’t know why, it’s a good movie. Guess I was a tasteless kid.”

Ash laughs around a mouthful of cheeseburger.

“Anyway, after that, when I was seventeen I was going through…some stuff,” Eiji says quietly. Ash’s brows crease in worry but then Eiji shakes his head like he’s trying to chase some memories, dipping his fry into Ash’s ranch sauce, and Ash feels warm all over. “I don’t want to think about it, let’s say it was an unpleasant time for me…I found this movie again, completed it this time and it…made me feel something after a long time. Something good. That’s how I became a Ghibli addict, I guess.”

“Wow…” Ash muses after he stops talking. “Mine’s a pretty mundane story compared to yours. Griff was working late, I was bored, looked at his DVDs, saw it, watched it, loved it.”

Eiji laughs out loud. “That’s a pretty good story too, Ash. Not everything has be overdramatic.”

“Well, if you says so.” Ash sighs dramatically, causing Eiji to giggle. “What’s your favorite scene?”

“The train scene.” Eiji answers immediately, flushing a little afterwards. “Sorry, that was a bit quick, but it has such an effect on me… I can’t even put it into words to explain how that scene makes me feel. I definitely felt melancholic, but it’s a good melancholy, you know? A strange kind of peacefulness…” He takes a deep breath. “I wish something like that also exists in real life. A train over the ocean. But I guess it’s a foolish wish…”

Ash slowly raises his head, dropping his cheeseburger to the plate. “You know what…I once read in a  Youtube comment that the train scene was inspired from Busselton Jetty in Western Australia or something. I mean I’m sure it’s not the same but must be something similar at least.”

“Really?” Eiji asks excitedly, the childlike joy on his face so strong that it makes Ash laugh.

“Yeah, really.” Suddenly getting more serious, he leans forward and looks at Eiji’s eyes. “I will take you there someday if you want.”

Eiji looks startled, but a playful and happy laugh escapes from him. “Really? You’d do that for me?”

Ash’s face openly turns vulnerable, and the strangest part is, _he doesn’t even care._ “I’d give you the whole world if I could, Eiji.”

Eiji stops breathing completely and for a long moment, they lose themselves in their little bubble. The existence of outside world doesn’t even occur to Ash in that moment but that’s okay. He’d gladly exchange the outside world with being lost in Eiji’s dark eyes forever.

“Ash?” Eiji whispers quietly.

“Hmm?”

“Do you think Haku and Chihiro saw each other ever again?”

His lips curl with a little smile. “I think so,” he answers in a whisper too. “He promised her.”

* * *

Eiji also gets out of the car to pass him when they arrive back at the dorms, and Ash’s heart starts beating rapidly again. The chilly air turns Eiji's soft cheeks to pink immediately. He looks happy, he looks soft, and Ash desperately wants to kiss him.

“Thank you so much for tonight, Ash. I really needed it with my crazy school and work tempo…” Eiji says timidly, face wrinkling with an adorable frown. “Although, like I told you, you didn’t need to! Seriously, you don’t need to thank me about that night anymore.”

Suddenly a heavy weight collapses on his chest.

“Right. No problem.” Ash says automatically, feeling cold something due to other than cold air. Frustration burns his throat and words leave him before he can stop them.

“Oh come on Eiji, you seriously can’t think tonight was about _thanking you for that night_.” he whines almost desperately. “I mean yeah, that’s also a part of it but the main thing is…” Ash gulps down loudly. “I hoped this was a date? 'Cause I want to date you? I’m kinda crazy about you?”

If he thought Eiji was blushing earlier, he downright looks feverish right now. “Oh.” he squeaks. “Oh. I.” He clears his throat, sounding breathless. “You know, Yut-Lung also said something similar before I left home but I didn’t want to assume, so—“

“ _Please_ assume.” Ash begs him. “Everything Yut-Lung said is true. And I hope he said that I desperately want to date you, because I do.”

Eiji blinks a couple times, and his expression turns delighted, eyes shining so brightly that Ash’s heart’s going to collapse any moment. “Well, in that case…”

He approaches Ash before he can wrap his head around what’s happening. _His hands are so soft,_ Ash thinks stupidly, leaning into his touch like a blissful cat. Eiji’s lips still taste like the apple pie they’ve had earlier, and they’re warm, despite the cold air, warm and soft, just like Eiji himself.

It ends too soon for Ash’s liking. It’s also the best kiss Ash’s ever had.

“I’m kinda crazy about you too, Ash.” Eiji whispers against his lips.

“Cool.” Ash blurts without thinking, causing Eiji to giggle. Blood rushes to Ash’s cheeks this time. “I mean—I—it’s nice that—“

Eiji, bless him, kisses him again to make him shut up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ash: i love you and i want to spend the rest of my life with you. you're the love and light of my life. will you marry me?  
> eiji: awww ash, you're still feeling grafeful over that night i helped you? ^.^ you really don't need to thank me anymore, it's cool. :)
> 
> (also both jessica and max have a crush on ibe you can't change my mind.)
> 
>  **up next:** our final chapter! griffin throws a dinner party at his home and our precious baby sing makes an appearance for the last chapter.
> 
> see you next time!
> 
> [tumblr](http://kybelles.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://twitter.com/kybelles) | [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/kybelles)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is it everyone!
> 
> as we approach the very end, i'd like to apologize about how this "college au" had barely any college in it. well, hope you guys enjoyed this fic anyway. :P
> 
>  **heads up:** ash's past **doesn't** contain any sexual trauma in this fic. i'm saying this because this chapter has a scene where ash and eiji talk about their pasts, and i don't want anyone to feel anxious.
> 
> alright, enough talking. hope you guys like the final chapter!

A sleepy giggle escapes from Eiji’s mouth as his phone starts vibrating immediately, and he tosses on bed to get comfortable before answering it. “Good morning.”

“Hey, good morning.” Ash says softly, sounding extremely guilty. “I’m really sorry for waking you.”

“It’s fine.” Eiji assures him with a smile. “Trust me, I was gonna get up soon anyway. I’m a morning person.”

“Of course you are.” Ash says in a deadpan tone, making Eiji laugh. “It’s just…I wanted to hear your voice first in the morning.” He pauses briefly and his voice sounds much more annoyed this time. “Well, first thing except Shorter’s disgusting snoring of course.”

Eiji laughs harder. “Ash, stop bullying your roommate.”

“ _He’s_ the one who’s bullying me. Listen this.”

There’s a brief rustling movement, and then Eiji indeed hears a disturbing snoring.

“Um, well…” he murmurs hesitantly. Ash’s silence carries a quiet smugness. “I have to admit, it’s a very unpleasant noise.”

“ _Thank you._ Can you believe I have to deal with this almost every night?” He exhales a deep breath, voice suddenly turning flirtatious. “I wish I could wake up beside you... I bet you’re very warm right now. And soft. And smelling like honeysuckle.”

“Ash…” Eiji whines a little. “It’s too early to make me blush.”

Ash’s breathy laugh is the most beautiful sound in the world. “It’s never too early to make you blush, cutie.” He sighs. “I miss you.”

Eiji doesn’t even give a commonsensical response like _“I gave you a lift to your dorm last night._ ” Instead, he sighs too and smiles softly. “Miss you too. Luckily we’ll see each other soon.”

“Yeah, that’s also a part of the reason I called.” Ash says shyly. “You’re coming tonight, right? The barbecue’s being organized as a thank you dinner for your and Ibe’s hard work after all.”

“Ash, don’t express it like that.” Eiji groans. “I’m already nervous about tonight…”

“For what?” Ash scoffs, sounding extremely confused. “You’ve already met everyone except Nadia’s husband and Shorter’s cousin. Charlie is a polite man and Sing…well, he’s kinda going through his angsty teenager phase right now but he’s a good kid nevertheless. Everything’s gonna be fine.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Please don’t worry about it. I can’t wait to see you.”

Eiji hides his blush to the pillow even though Ash can’t see him. “Me too.”

“Oh, by the way, bring Yut-Lung with you if you can.” Ash says halfheartedly. Eiji can practically see his grimace. “I guess I need to be on good terms with him now that I’m your boyfriend and he’s the best friend I need to impress.”

Warmth fills Eiji from head to toe. “OK, I’ll try to bring him with me, Mr. Good Boyfriend.”

“Thanks.” Ash says smugly. “Laters, sweet thing.”

Eiji lets out an amused laugh. “Goodbye Ash.”

He lingers in his bed for another few minutes before he forces himself to get up, dragging his feet into the living room. Surprisingly, he sees Yut-Lung has already woken up and dancing to _Breathe_ by _Télépopmusik_. His long hair is tucked under a messy bun and he’s wearing worn-out sweats. He smirks when he notices Eiji. “Good morning, kitten. I made breakfast for you.”

Eiji warily steps up to their tiny kitchen because he’s heard this exact sentence from Yut-Lung before, and discovered he meant “putting dry cereal to a bowl” as “making breakfast.” Just dry cereal. Not even milk.

However, he sees Yut-Lung has made avocado toast with smoked salmon and egg this time. There’s even tea to go with it. Eiji can’t help but gasps. “Oh my god, you’re amazing.”

The music stops in the living room and Yut-Lung’s energetic footsteps reach kitchen seconds later. “I know.” he says happily, settling on a chair to start eating.

Eiji rolls his eyes fondly and fills their mugs with tea. He takes a bite from his toast. “Wow, this is delicious.” he says, savoring the salmon inside his mouth. “Oh, by the way, Ash’s brother is having a barbecue party tonight. We’re invited.”

Yut-Lung suddenly chokes on his tea, lurching forward to let out violent coughs. Eiji gives his back a few panicked pats but Yut-Lung pushes his hands back and looks at him with burning eyes _. “You inconsiderate bitch!”_

“What did I do?!” Eiji yells, taken aback, because he genuinely has no idea which part of their conversation snapped Yut-Lung out of his sunny mood and threw him into his usual bitch zone.

“How can you only tell me this right now?” Yut-Lung yells back, a groan slipping away from his lips. “Oh god, Shorter's gonna be there, right?”

“I mean, yeah?” Eiji responds dumbly. “He’s Ash’s best friend, it makes se—“

Yut-Lung’s face turns pale and he starts hitting his head against breakfast table with a loud groan. Eiji quickly uses his hand as a barrier before Yut-Lung can give himself a brain damage. “I don’t get what’s wrong.”

“What’s wrong? _What’s wrong?”_ Yut-Lung snarls at him. “Everything is wrong! I look _disgusting_ , Eiji. My hair is greasy. I have _black bags_ under my eyes. I could’ve partly fixed them last night if I knew we were invited to a dinner party but there isn’t enough time right now _because you’ve just told me._ ”

Eiji pushes his breakfast plate aside with a sad sigh and gives Yut-Lung a critical look to stop him from bursting into flames. “Alright, stop whining. Here’s the plan: Go have a nice bath after you finish your breakfast and wash your hair with one of the  expensive shampoo samples you got from seven different cosmetic stores. We’ll put cucumbers on your eyes and use make-up to cover the black bags.”

Yut-Lung looks considerably calmer now but he still frowns. “What are we gonna do about my hair?”

“Straighten and keep it down. It’s a good look on you.”

“Oh yeah, Shorter also likes it down.” Yut-Lung says with bright eyes. “I mean he’d never tell me this openly but I can see it in his eyes.”

“That’s…good?” Eiji asks with raised eyebrows. He slowly starts eating his breakfast again. “I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal about it, Yut-Lung, you two see each other at work everyday.”

Yut-Lung looks _scandalized._ “You can’t be this dense, Eiji. This is a _dinner party_. The atmosphere is completely different from work. His friends are gonna be there, hell, maybe even his family is gonna be there. Didn’t you mention how Nadia’s husband is also one of Ash’s brother’s friends?” He takes a deep breath. “I _have to_ look good.”

Eiji swallows his bite and clears his throat. He quickly decides confirming Shorter’s sister, brother-in-law _and_ cousin are going to be there probably isn’t the best idea. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t _I_ be nervous about this? This is my first appearance as Ash’s boyfriend.” Even saying the word aloud brings a blush to Eiji’s cheeks.

“Don’t be stupid, Eiji.” Yut-Lung scowls. “You literally have everyone you meet wrapped around your finger. And Blondie’s head over heels for you. You have no reason to be nervous.”

“OK.” Eiji says slowly, taking a long sip from his tea. “Why are _you_ nervous then?”

Yut-Lung gives him a confused blink.

“It’s just…I thought you were just playing around with Shorter?”

“Oh.” With a huge shock, Eiji watches as Yut-Lung lowers his eyes to his lap and _blushes._ “Yeah, it was that way in the beginning but I… really like him now?”

Eiji’s mouth falls open. “Wait, _seriously?_ ”

Yut-Lung lifts his head, giving him a fond eye roll. “Don’t look so surprised Eiji, it’s not like I seriously don’t have a heart. I just don’t have one metaphorically.” He laughs when Eiji lightly swats at him. “He’s a very good guy and I…” Yut-Lung sighs a little and leans his cheek against his palm. “You know, the other day this asshole walked into the café and kinda started giving me shit about my ‘girlish’ appearance—“

“Dickhead.” Eiji mutters darkly under his breath.

“Exactly. And it’s not like I couldn’t deal with him on my own but then Shorter stepped in with his broad shoulders and—“ Yut-Lung lets out a dreamy sigh this time. “He _literally_ threw the guy out. Like a fucking gentleman.”

Eiji can only stare with big eyes. “Wow. Just…wow.”

“I know.” Yut-Lung throws his head back and starts watching the ceiling with a little smile on his lips. “It’d be nice if he liked me back, you know?”

Unbidden, Ash’s golden hair and emerald eyes flash through Eiji's mind. He smiles and leans forward to give Yut-Lung’s hand a little squeeze. “Yeah, I know…”

* * *

“Okay but do I _really_ need to come?” Sing asks for the thousandth time.

Shorter lets out a long suffering sigh as they stop at a red light. He looks five seconds away from starting to bang his hand against the steering wheel.

Ash throws Sing a look through driving mirror. The teen’s arms are crossed in bitter annoyance. “I don’t get why you’re making such a big deal about this.”

“Because, _dummy,_ “ Sing snaps at him. “I don’t feel like meeting strangers tonight.”

“There will be only three new people there, Sing.” Shorter says tiredly, moving the car again when the light turns green. “One of them is Max’s friend, so you don’t need to worry about that.” His lips curl with a smirk. “Yut-Lung is kind of a bitch, but _so are you_ , so it should be fine.”

Sing’s voice is filled with disgust. “Very funny, Shorter.”

“And one of them is my boyfriend,” Ash quickly intervenes. “So you _must_ act decent, got it little rat?”

“Oh my God, I said _okay!_ ” Sings yells angrily. “I’m not gonna be mean to your stupid boyfriend, okay? Leave me alone!”

Ash sends him one last glare from the mirror before he turns his attention back to the window.

The truth is, even though he’s the one who told Eiji to be cool about tonight, he’s feeling very nervous. Which makes him a kind of hypocrite, to be fair, but he _needs_ it to go smoothly. This is the first appearance they will make as a couple, and Ash’s ready to set the house on fire if someone makes Eiji uncomfortable at this point.

Sing’s scowl significantly disappears once they arrive home and Nadia gives him a hug. He and Shorter coo at Nadia’s baby bump, bombarding her with questions about the baby which Charlie answers patiently. Jessica and Ibe are there too, and they appear to be talking about something business related. Ash quickly makes his hellos, kisses Michael’s head and steps into Griff’s backyard. He sees there are already plenty of appetizers on the long table.

He finds his brother near the barbecue. Max’s standing next to him but Ash gives Griffin a brief hug without minding that asshole. “Hey, how’s everything going?” he asks anxiously.

“It’s fine—“ Griff starts but Max interrupts him with a loud groan.

“Ash, _relax._ Your little boyfriend’s gonna be just fine. We all know him.”

“Yeah, about that,” Ash says gravely. “I will _ruin your life_ if you make him uncomfortable tonight, Max.”

Max makes a mocking sound. “Would you stop babying him please? The guy’s older than you.”

“That still doesn’t mean you can be an asshole to him.” Ash snaps.

“Oh my God, I’m not gonna be an asshole!” Max says, looking irritable. “I like Eiji, he’s a really good guy. I don’t know what the fuck he’s doing with someone like you.”

“You motherfu—“

Griffin’s loud doorbell distracts him from the conversation and his eyes widens. He runs like crazy to reach the door before anyone else, taking a moment to catch his breath before he opens the door.

Yut-Lung and Eiji are standing on the doorway but naturally, Ash’s eyes fall on Eiji. He quickly notices Eiji’s wearing a creamy sweater under his black coat, which is a terrible choice for a barbecue party, but Ash’s going to feed him with his own hands if it’s necessary. Eiji’s cheeks are red from the cold air outside, or maybe it’s his usual blush that Ash adores so much. Either way, Ash is drawn to the sight like a man drawn to a siren song, and he leans forward to smother Eiji’s cheeks with kisses.

He captures his boyfriend’s giggle with his mouth. “Hi there, bambi.”

Eiji smiles against his lips. “Hi, sunshine.”

Ash’s heart is beating so fast that he’s afraid it’s going to burst out of his chest.

A loud cough startles both of them and Ash notices Yut-Lung is looking at him with an unimpressed face. Ash carefully suppresses his grimace and welcomes them inside.

Shorter’s standing in the entrance of living room and even though he’s clearly going for a disinterested look, it’s obvious he’s waiting for Yut-Lung. Yut-Lung quickly understands this and wriggles himself to Shorter’s personal space masterly.

“Hello Shorter.” he practically purrs.

Shorter opens his mouth to answer but his eyes can’t stop tracing Yut-Lung’s long hair. “You’re gonna be very uncomfortable if you eat like this.” he says quietly, running his hand through it.

Yut-Lung arches into his touch like a cat. “Then maybe you should braid my hair again.”

Ash rolls his eyes at them and turns his attention back to Eiji, hugging him properly now that they aren’t standing in the cold. Eiji returns to his embrace with a happy hum.

“You got here okay?” Ash asks, giving Eiji's temple a peck as he leans back.

“Yeah, there wasn’t any problem…” Eiji starts but his voice disappears slowly, his gaze focusing on someone behind Ash.

Ash lets out a quiet and dreadful sigh as he realizes Eiji’s probably looking at Sing and he has to introduce them. He hopes Sing is wearing a little smile at least, instead of his trademark scowl for tonight, because Ash’s going to have some words with that brat if he tries to wreak his anger on Eiji.

Sing isn’t scowling now. But he isn’t smiling either. He completely seems frozen as he looks at Eiji, mouth slightly open, and there’s a faint _blush_ on his cheeks.

Ash’s mind goes blank. _What the fuck?_

“Hello.” Eiji says nervously, sweetness dripping from his voice like honey, and Ash watches in shock as Sing’s blush _deepens._

_WHAT. THE. FUCK._

“H-hello.” Sings stammers shyly and this is the _last straw_ for Ash’s patience.

He discreetly wraps his arm around Eiji’s wait, pulling him even closer, and gives Sing a frosty smile. “Sing, meet my _boyfriend_ Eiji.”

At least Ash’s choice of word looks like it brought Sing back to his senses. He startles a little and looks kind of numb as he shakes Eiji’s hand. “Hi, I’m Sing. Shoter’s cousin.” he mumbles.

And as much as Ash’s getting really irritated from Sing’s coyness, he also has to hand it to him, because he doesn’t know any man who wouldn’t feel defeated against Eiji’s starlit smile. “It’s so nice to meet you, Sing.”

Sing turns his gaze to the floor like he’s going to explode if the keeps looking at Eiji longer. “S-same.”

“Dinner time!” Ash says loudly, gently guiding Eiji towards the backyard. “C’mon, you must be hungry.”

He sends Sing a death glare over Eiji’s shoulder and Sing, the snake brat, glares him back fiercely.

Griff’s backyard isn’t huge by all means, but it’s somehow enough to fit everybody in. Ash also helps by pretty much pulling Eiji to his lap, creating an extra seat for Michael. And even though Eiji was bashful about it at first, he eventually started to look content and happy. Shorter and Yut-Lung also look attached to each other, seeing there’s literally no space between them. Yut-Lung’s long braid looks kind of messy, but he seems happy enough while accepting the roasted potato bite Shorter offers him. Ash carefully hides his grimace and tries to be happy for Shorter.

Despite Ash’s previous worries about tonight, the atmosphere is very cozy and Eiji’s literally _glowing_ with happiness. Ash can’t stop himself from peppering him with cheek kisses, but judging by his giggles, Eiji seems like he doesn’t mind. He catches Griffin’s eye across the table a couple times and there’s so much happiness in his brother’s eyes that Ash can only give him a rocky smile in return.

It also helps that everyone is —and yes, including Max— very polite to Eiji. Not that Ash thought they were going to be rude or anything since only a demon can be rude to Eiji, but it’s still nice.

One person is, however, too nice. Too interested.

Jessica goes to the kitchen to bring the dessert after they all fill their stomach with dinner nicely. Max gasps loudly when he sees the huge pie his wife’s carrying. “ _You made key lime pie!_ ”

“Yes, and you’re not gonna get an extra slice before everyone tastes it.” Jessica says calmly, completely ignoring Max’s ridiculous pout. She beams as she puts it on the table.

“This was made in the honor of my dear friend Shunichi Ibe.” Jessica declares proudly. “Thank you for finally doing this photo shoot after I begged you for, like, twenty years or something.”

Ibe rolls his eyes but his smile is fond. “You’re welcome, Jess.”

“And let’s not forget his hardworking assistant!” Jessica shouts cheerfully. “Thank you Eiji, for both your hard work this month and making our wild lynx happy.” She supports her words with a teasing wink.

“Jessica…” Ash growls quietly but Eiji holds onto his arms and looks at Jessica with rosy cheeks.

“Both of them are my pleasure.”

Various _aww_ s and _oooh_ s and _eww_ s (Yut-Lung) follows this comment but Ash’s too busy kissing Eiji to pay attention to them.

The treason comes a few minutes later when everyone’s busy with their own conversations. Ash’s about to offer Eiji a piece from his plate, even though they’re eating the same thing, when Sing quietly clears his throat and looks at Eiji. Just from the slightly starry look in his eyes, Ash knows he’s about to get annoyed. Really annoyed.

“I’m also messing around with photography.” he says casually.

Ash’s eyes go very, very narrow because he’s certain he’s _never_ heard Sing mention something like this before.

Thankfully, Shorter comes to his rescue. He pulls away from his conversation with Yut-Lung, looking at his cousin with a confused frown. “Really? You never said anything about it.”

“Well, because it’s amateurish.” Sing snaps defensively, sending Eiji a shy look. “I’m not very good.”

Yut-Lung’s glance travels between Sing and Eiji for a few seconds, and then he turns Shorter’s attention to himself again after rolling his eyes at the scene and Ash understands he _gets it._

Eiji, however, is the sweetest and also the most oblivious person in the world, so he gets excited by Sing’s words. “It’s really cool, Sing!” he exclaims happily. Sing blushes a little at this and Ash’s quietly _fuming._

It even gets worse. “You know, I can always teach you some basic things about photography if you want.” Eiji tells him with a gentle face and alarms start ringing inside Ash’s head.

Sing’s face is too hopeful. “Seriously?”

“Are you sure you have enough time for this, bambi?” Ash asks in panic, gritting his teeth when he looks at Sing. Sing just glares back. “I feel like making time for Sing would be hard for you.”

Eiji blinks confusedly, tilting his head aside. “I’m sure I can arrange some free time.”

Sing looks at him with a very smug face upon this and Ash accepts the defeat sourly.

But then Eiji snuggles into his neck and looks at him under his eyelashes. “You should come too, of course.” he murmurs coyly. “I can’t have a boyfriend who’s bad at photography.”

Ash’s heartbeat picks up again and out of his eye, he sees Sing looking utterly deflated. He gives Eiji’s forehead a tender kiss and smirks at Sing over his boyfriend’s head. “Gladly.”

Sing just glares harder.

* * *

* * *

As the night goes on, everyone splits up to little groups to make conversation with each other. Even though the air gets chillier, Griffin has three portable heaters they can use in the backyard so it doesn’t cause a problem, but Max still makes Michael say goodnight to everyone and carries him to Griffin’s warm living room where he immediately falls asleep.

Eiji and Griffin move into a deep and cozy conversation while Ash’s talking to Charlie, and the sight of them makes him feel so oddly happy. Ash knows his brother would’ve approved literally anyone who makes him happy, but to see Griffin having good time with Eiji is a huge source of relief for Ash nevertheless.

He sidles up to Eiji after Griffin goes to talk with Ibe. “Hey,” he whispers nervously. “Can I take you upstairs? There’s something I wanna do.”

He has no idea what part of this sentence causes a teasing expression to appear on Eiji’s face. “Well, if you must.” his boyfriend sighs exaggeratedly. “You brought me dinner after all.”

Ash splutters a laugh. “ _Oh my God,_ I didn’t mean it that way Eiji!” He pauses and eyes Eiji from head to toe. “Although, I c _an_ mean it that way if it’s what you want.”

It’s Eiji’s turn to blush this time. “Just take me upstairs, dummy.” he murmurs, accepting Ash’s hand and glaring at him when he laughs.

Despite his earlier teasing, Eiji seems curious about where Ash’s taking him. His eyebrows lift with interest as Ash opens a window and carefully steps into the roof, holding out a hand for Eiji.

“Um…” he nervously swallows. “I’m aware this probably sounds like the dumbest request ever but… will you watch the sky with me?”

Eiji’s face softens with a kind smile. “This doesn’t sound dumb at all. Of course I will.”

Ash’s breath leaves him in a shaky exhale. He gently helps Eiji and makes him sit down, pulling a thick blanket to protect them from the cold. Ash sits down beside Eiji and not-so-subtly pulls him close to his chest. Eiji just gives a pleased sigh and snuggles closer to his chest, tracing it with his finger.

“This is nice.” he murmurs quietly.

That is an understatement. Ash can’t remember feeling this happy and content in his life before.

They sit in a peaceful quiet for a while. Eiji’s still tracing calming circles on his chest when he suddenly sighs. “Ash…”

“Hmm?”

Eiji’s whisper is cozy. “Tell me something about you.”

Ash thinks about this for a second. He could talk about how he likes European cinema, or how much he hates pumpkins and Halloween, or something mundane like that. He opens his mouth and—

“Griffin and I are half-brothers actually.”

Eiji fidgets a little at this and Ash’s blood turns icy, but then he feels a warm hand embracing his own and when he turns head, he sees Eiji’s looking at him with understanding and gentle eyes. And in that moment, Ash knows Eiji’s not going to persist if he chooses not to speak about it more. He will gently let go.

But Ash doesn’t want to stop now that he’s started.

He pulls Eiji even closer to him, needing his warmth for this conversation. “Our father is the same. It’s our mothers who are different. I must say though, our fate was also same. Both our mothers left us as soon as we were born.” A bitter laugh escapes from his mouth. Eiji squeezes his hand tighter.

“Our dad…” Ash pauses to let out a long, frustrated breath. “Fucking hell, even after everything, I still struggle about calling him a bad man. I really don’t know, Eiji. Maybe he saw the women who left him in us too much and it made us hard to love for him, but that’s not a fucking excuse for his apathy. He’s never made me or Griff feel loved. Not even for one fucking day.”

He’s shaking after spills his hatred out, and Eiji makes little soothing noises and pulls Ash to his lap. Ash gladly buries his head to Eiji’s stomach and stays there until his trembling stops.

“As soon as Griffin turned eighteen,” Ash whispers a couple of minutes later, still hiding in Eiji’s lap. “He took me and ran away from home. You know what my dad did? Nothing. Both of his sons disappeared just like that and the fucker didn’t even look for us.” He shuts his eyes tight for a moment. “Griff went to see him last year. I didn’t. I don’t know if I ever will.”

Slowly, with the gentlest hands in the world, Eiji starts caressing his hair. “What happened after you two ran away?” he whispers.

Ash sighs, a small smile finally appearing on his face. “A lot of bad things could’ve happened. An eighteen year old guy and his kid brother… in a big city like New York… but it didn’t. Max and Jessica found us. They were a newly married couple back then, eloped and young and poor but also very ambitious and hardworking. They had a tiny extra room in their home and they barely knew Griffin but… they accepted us to their lives. Jess, Max and Griffin raised me together from that point.” Ash’s laugh is choked up. “So, as much as I fight with Max often, I’m also in debt to him until the last day of my life. He and Jess basically saved our lives.”

Eiji’s voice sounds like he’s ready to cry any minute. “I’m so glad they found you.”

Ash finally turns his gaze back to Eiji’s angel face, wanting to lose himself at his doe eyes.

“But sometimes, I can’t stop thinking about what kind of life I’d have if Griff left me there, Eiji. My life could be so different.” he whispers brokenly. “It’s nibbling my brain. What kind of path I’d be forced to follow…” He captures Eiji’s hand, kissing his fingertips. “If I’d meet you at all…”

Eiji sighs sensitively, lifting his head to cast a long glance at the night sky. “Do you remember when we were talking about _Spirited Away_ and I mentioned how I was… going through hard times?”

Ash suddenly tenses. “Yeah?”

Eiji’s sorrowful smile is cutting Ash’s heart into pieces. “I used to be a pole-vaulter.”

“ _Wait, seriously?”_ Ash blurts, his surprise so strong that he bolts from Eiji’s lap.

“Yeah. That’s how I met Ibe-san, actually.” Eiji says. “I was thinking about going pro and he wanted to cover a story about me. I think he still has a photo of me from that article.”

Ash takes a mental note about asking Ibe for that photo.

“Then one day, during practice, I…” Eiji blinks quickly like he’s sending the tears back. “I fell. Really hard. It completely destroyed any chance I had about going pro and… I couldn’t get over it for a long time, because being a pole-vaulter was my only future plan until that accident.”

Ash is completely speechless, hands reaching for him uselessly. “Eiji, I’m _so_ sorry.”

“Don’t be, I’m not.” Eiji says resolutely, covering Ash’s hands with his own. “I mean I am, a little. A part of me is always gonna be in mourning about it but I’ve already suffered so much over this. Then Ibe-san came and showed me that my life was far from being over, there was something else I could do with passion...”

“What I’m trying to say is,” Eiji continues thoughtfully, playing with Ash’s fingers. “My life also could be so different from this. Yet I feel like…” His cheeks turn rosy under the faint moonlight. “I feel like we’d find each other anyway. It wouldn’t matter if the circumstances were different, if our worlds were different, if _we_ were different... One way or another, our paths would cross with each other. Does this make me sound stupid?”

Ash looks at him for a long moment before he leans forward and cups Eiji’s face with his rough hands, tasting his soft lips in a light kiss.

“Doesn’t sound stupid at all,” he murmurs against his lips. “Something inside me also tells we’d find each other in every world.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaand that's a wrap!
> 
> i just want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported me with their kudos, comments and nice messages. this was my first non-oneshot english fic and you can't even imagine how much your support meant to me, how much it cheered me up... i really enjoyed writing this fic and i hope you also enjoyed reading it.
> 
> see you (hopefully) in my next story!
> 
> much love,  
> idil.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://kybelles.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://twitter.com/kybelles) | [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/kybelles)


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